Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I know the member for Griffith is from Far North Queensland. I'm married to a North Queenslander. I thought the trade minister was actually from Far North Queensland as well, but he seems to have forgotten it and transferred over to New Zealand. There is a bit of a rash of that: people leaving Queensland and taking up support for New Zealand. I'm not sure who they're going to vote for in the coming New Zealand elections, but maybe I'll have to give a bit of advice to the Deputy Prime Minister—hopefully, he is supporting the Labor candidate Jacinda Ardern in the New Zealand elections.

I know I will be supporting Queensland, and it might be a little bit difficult for those people not from North Queensland or Queensland to understand how important it is that we focus on Queensland. In particular, anyone that has any connection with Far North Queensland understands the devastation that comes after a tropical cyclone. I know that the member for Herbert would well understand how economies can be devastated after a cyclone. And I would have thought the member for Brisbane, if he had any sense of history—if we look at what happened after 2011 and the floods that devastated inner city Brisbane as well—would know we need to focus on Queensland jobs, because our economy took a hammering. The Palaszczuk government has worked with businesses to address this problem.

The Queensland government's multibillion dollar Queensland procurement strategy and policy will create jobs and opportunities for Queensland—not Kiwis, not South Australians or people from New South Wales, but Queenslanders. This Australia-first policy proudly puts Queenslanders first. We are spending $14 billion a year buying supplies and services, because that is what the Queensland government does, with $4 billion of that invested in infrastructure, building and maintaining the state's roads.

We understand that this is a great policy. Don't take my word for it; take the word from that left-wing think tank, the Queensland chamber of commerce and industry. Now, I'm not quoting from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce; I'm actually quoting from the Queensland chamber of commerce and industry. They have called it a:

… multi-billion dollar shot in the arm for the state's small business and for every region of Queensland.

They also said:

Critics of the policy will label it as anti-competitive and restrictive, CCIQ sees it as levelling the playing field so that the small businesses who employ over 2 million Queenslanders can compete on service and not just be undercut on price.

Labor is sticking up for small business, forgotten by those opposite, who are quite happy to be photographed in front of a tank saying, 'Bring some jobs to Queensland,' this morning but won't actually do the hard yards when it comes to actual policy.

The Palaszczuk government knows how important it is to support businesses that provide jobs to Queensland. I was with Premier Palaszczuk on 14 July when we announced how Labor is working to secure Queensland as the location for Rheinmetall Defence Australia's Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence. Those people standing in front of Parliament House today are late to the game. The Queensland government has already been over in Germany, negotiating with Rheinmetall to make sure that these jobs come to Queensland. They are standing out front, looking for a photo opportunity, and then coming in here criticising the fact that we're going to actually create jobs. This $5 billion Army contract to build up to 10,000 new-generation army vehicles could be a significant coup for Queensland. I would hope those opposite will actually do the right thing. We know that Queensland gets devastated by cyclones, and I would hope that those opposite, who represent Queenslanders, know that we need to do more. Rather than spending $122 million on an unnecessary, non-binding, voluntary postal survey, invest in Queensland.

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